Tomorrow May Never Be
by Harry Potter Fan 1994
Summary: This is based off the Hindi movie about a girl who's life couldn't get any more bleak, and a guy who turned her frown upside down. Pairings: Robin x Starfire x RedStar. Rating may change. ON HOLD.
1. Chapter 1

I've been waiting to get this story up FOREVER, you guys have no idea how excited I am for it! More than almost any other, I think. I had to watch the movie over and over...but that's okay, I love that movie, haha...anyway, I hope you guys like it!

Also, I know Koma and Ryan are supposed to be older than Kory, but please humor me (begs).

Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans or _Kal Ho Naa Ho

* * *

_Jump City. Famous for its bright blue, California sky and Bahama-like weather. Most of the people have wonderfully wealthy lives, full of friends and family and laughter, not a care in the world. Much more friendly than Gotham, everyone says. But that's not the story here. This one starts far below the towering skyscrapers, on your everyday street in the big city, with a girl on her morning jog.

I wove through the many people rushing to work, and cut through between two restaurants. As soon as I saw the sparkling ocean, I knew I was there.

The pier. Deserted pier, more like, but still my sanctuary. I remembered my father bringing me here...when he was alive. This is where I shed my tears, before I return home and find that there's been yet another fight. Another day that only makes everything look more hopeless.

"Daddy...I wish you were here..."

My name is Kory Anders, and this is the story of how I found love in the least likely of places.

* * *

**A story of a lifetime...in a heartbeat.**

"I understand, Mr. Wilson...yes, I'll try to get the payment in as soon as possible...thank you for understanding." My mom, Louanne Anders. I've never met a stronger woman, someone who balances family and work problems at the same time and manages not to go completely crazy. I know I would. But today, I'm not feeling as understanding as Mr. Wilson.

"Mom, what's this?" I ask darkly. I'd checked the mail before coming in for breakfast, and found...this.

"What?"

"This! Who's this guy? Why are his pictures in our mail? Don't tell me..." My mother rolled her tired eyes. "Grandma tried to arrange my marriage again, didn't she?"

* * *

"O, great X'hal! Today, I pray to you in form of a song I have written. Please listen, and answer our prayers." My grandmother, my dad's mother. She hates my mom, for reasons I'd much rather not talk about right now. It was her and my dead grandfather who first moved to America from the island of Tamaran. She's very religious, and a horrible singer.

"_Oh, zambork rugla'd xa  
Draxal seglezar ounu za  
X'hal! endat regu na  
Glashnok hera dza!"_

"Grandma! Grandma!" I yelled over her moans and screeches.

"_HEGLA DRASA SHILA MA  
KLAGA UNZOO GRIGRA DA  
X'HAL! TRIRGZA SHLIMP--"_

"GRANDMA, STOP!" I screamed. She ceased immediately, smiling.

"Good morning, Kory."

"What is this? Who is this man?" I asked, shoving the pictures under her nose. "You did _not _invite him for dinner!"

"Kory," she sighed, and then continued in an annoyingly patient voice, "You are nearly twenty-five. You must be married! Would you stay a single girl for all of your life?"

"Yes!" I hissed. "Now come. Breakfast is ready."

Before heeding my orders and heading down, my grandma took a peek out of her window. We had a neighbor, an old general from some war or other, who used to live in Greenland. He _just so happened_ to be out on his balcony every morning when my grandma was singing. I had no idea how he could stand the sound. Still, their little romance was disgusting. They were both over seventy years old.

I walked across the hallway from my grandma's bedroom to my brother's. "Go! Go! YES!" I heard him shout through the door. Ryan was probably watching basketball. It was his favorite sport. Ryan is crippled, a defect from birth, and the poor boy can't play anything that requires running. He's twelve, still blissfully unaware of how this is going to affect him. After all, he's always known life like this. Wait until he hits high school.

"Ryan! Breakfast!"

"Wait a second, Kory! Just one more shot--NO! What was he thinking?"

I rolled my eyes. "No idea."

The last (and smallest) room belonged to my sister, Koma. Technically, she was my half-sister. Only six, she'd already experienced more tragedy than any grown adult ever should. Breakfast was a good example.

"Good morning, my bumgorf, how are you? You are looking more handsome every day!" my grandmother gushed over Ryan, pinching his cheeks.

"Grandma, stop it, you're embrassing me!"

"Good morning, Grandma," Koma greeted politely. She ignored the little girl. Another thing: my grandma hated Koma. Koma is the walking, talking reason of why her son wasn't alive anymore. My mother hugged Koma as a greeting, kissing Ryan on the temple.

"What is this American food? Louanne, do you have no idea how to cook?" my grandmother asked in distaste, eyeing the cereal as if it was about to attack her.

"Mother, please--"

"Koma! Save some food for your brother! You devil child, always taking so much for yourself and not thinking of others! How dare you!" Koma stopped pouring the cereal and settled with her meager portion, but I would not have it. I poured half the box's contents on her bowl, and the rest on Ryan's.

"See? Enough for everyone." I ate mine quickly, before I was stuck in the middle of another argument.

Too late.

"I would settle for _anything_ that wasn't American right now. When was the last time we had a real zorkaberry? I miss them so--"

"Then you may go back to Tamaran. I will not stop you." Grandma failed to notice the exasperation and anger in my mother's voice.

"I only wish I could! But I am now so old, and I have a duty to my family...I wish to see at least _one_ grandchild married before I go." She sniffed at me. "Yet, Kory will not grant me such a wish..."

"_Kory_ can marry whenever she likes. It is not your wish that counts. This is America, not Tamaran."

"Pish-posh! She would have been married respectably by now, but what would _you _know? If my son was alive--"

"If he was alive...?"

"STOP!" I screamed. I pushed my chair out, glaring at the two women. "Just stop. This is ridiculous. You...forget it." I grabbed my purse and walked out, seething. It was the normal morning routine for me. Stop the argument, then storm out angrily. I sighed as it began to rain, sneaking back into the house to get an umbrella and then leaving again.

My mom caught up to me after a while, though not a word was spoken of the morning. I stopped by the restaurant she owned, just to see her off. There was a Chinese restaurant just across the street, and there was a line to get in. She sighed, glancing around at her empty tables. "I don't know, Kory. If we don't get more customers, we'll go out of business. Then what? How am I to support you three kids?" She sat down in a chair and buried her head in her hands.

"It'll be fine, Mom," I said, no feeling behind the words. It was a mantra for my family, one that had hollowed out until we had no idea what it really meant. It wasn't going to be fine. It would never be fine. But I said it anyway.

I stayed there until three, when my shift ended. We had one customer, and he hadn't tipped. My mother left with me, knowing a hopeless cause when she saw one. We separated a while later. she going back home, and me to a bus stop. The rain was still going.

"I hate this. I hate this stupid rain," I muttered, waiting for a bus to get to my MBA classes.

"Kory!" I turned around to see Dick Grayson, my best friend and fellow MBA class-taker, rush up to take his place under my umbrella. "You don't mind, do you?" he asked, gesturing to the umbrella. I rolled my eyes.

"Of course not, Dick. What do you think I'd do, leave you out to catch pneumonia?" He grinned.

"Maybe." Dick Grayson was the adopted son of Bruce Wayne, easily the richest man in Gotham City. Dick had come all the way out to Jump to work at a branh of Wayne Enterprises. A complete playboy and heartthrob, Dick had been a small crush of mine since I met him. Well, before the arguements worsened. I didn't have any space or patience for love. I hated the word. But with Dick, my problems seemed to disappear...even if it was just for a moment.

Dick loved public transportation, something I was never able to get. He said limos got boring after a couple of months, but on the bus and subway, it was "ride to survive, fast and furious." I smirked inwardly at the memory, envious of Dick's carefree attitude. He had told me he hadn't always been like that, and he'd never been able to enjoy anything, but I didn't believe him. You don't just grow out of your personality. It takes a lot to change it.

When we arrived, Dick immediately found a girl to start flirting with. The pang of jealousy I always felt was second nature, and easy to ignore. Dick would never think anything of me, not when he could have the most beautiful women in America. Me, with my cheap-framed glasses and short, raggedly tied up hair. It was redder than red, too, from natural Tamaranian heredity. Freakish in America. Even my skin was strange, an orange-y color that I tried to cover up by wearing as much clothing as possible. It got difficult in the California heat. Dick never mentioned it, but he probably thought me as horribly ugly as everyone else. Despite his commitment issues, he was one of the nicest people I had ever met. Hence, the 'best friend' title.

He wasn't paying attention in class, just flirting the whole time, but somehow, he always managed to pass our tests with flying colors. I ignored his antics and concentrated. _I_ wasn't as good of a multi-tasker.

"Dinner at eight and a coffee tomorrow with _that_ redhead over there. Not bad, huh?" Dick asked me as we walked out.

"No, not bad at all, unless..."

"Unless?"

"Unless you like kids. That's Gina Raymond, exchange student, divorced with four children. You're not going over to her house, are you?" Dick groaned.

"I can't believe this. I'm gonna be stuck with four screaming kids for two hours. Save me, Kory!" He clutched his heart dramatically. I smacked him lightly on the shoulder, and he grudgingly cut it out.

"Your own fault. What is it with you, Dick? That's the seventh redhead this month."

"What can I say?" I knew it was too much to hope I was the next one on his list. If he had wanted to ask me to anything, he would have done so two years ago, when we'd met. I felt bad for him, but this was another thing I respected about Dick: I knew he wouldn't cancel, no matter how much he didn't want to go.

As I walked through the front door, though, my Dick-related thoughts disappeared. My grandmother was shaking Koma, screaming at her. "You could have tripped him, and he would have fallen! You know Ryan is not able to walk properly! He could have gotten hurt!"

"I'm sorry, Grandma, I'm sorry," Koma blubbered. "I didn't see him!"

"Grandma!" I cried. She stopped, rounding on me. "How could you?"

"Mother!" My mom rushed into the room, hearing our voices. "What happened? Oh, Koma, what happened?" My sister ran, crying, into my mother's open arms. She stroked Koma's hair, trying to calm the girl down. Ryan was on the floor, staring at the scene with wide eyes. "How could you hit her? Koma has done nothing wrong! She's only a little girl!" I helped Ryan up, ordering him to his room.

"She is a monster! That 'little girl' nearly hurt my grandson!"

"She is your grandchild, as well!"

"She is no relation of mine!" Koma broke free from my mother's arms and ran up to her room, sobbing. I followed her, still able to hear the fight downstairs.

Koma had a small dollhouse in her room, and she had made puppets of our family to live in it. As I stood at her door, I saw her move Grandma into another room of her house, while myself, Ryan, mother, and her remained together. Then she curled up in a ball and cried. I crouched down by her side, rubbing her shoulders comfortingly.

Not long after, my mother and brother came in. Both of them had dried tear tracks on their cheeks. They joined me in trying to comfort Koma. "She hates me, Mommy," Koma whispered, her voice cracked and shaky. "She hates me."

"No, no, Koma, that's not true at all."

"She hates you, Koma, she hates you," Ryan weeped. I could say nothing, only hope that I was helping a little bit. I was afraid that if I started talking, I would cry, too.

"Shh...my mother always used to tell me, that in bad times, X'hal will send us a saviour."

"What's a saviour, Mommy?" asked Koma.

"Someone who will wipe our tears, who will lift us up and bring us great happiness." She smiled through her tears. "Come. Let us pray to X'hal to send him soon, so he can make everything all right." I joined my family as we kneeled by Koma's bed and prayed for our saviour. I, for one, didn't believe it, but it was for Ryan and Koma. They needed the hope more than anything. _They can believe in magic for now, though they'll find out eventually that saviours aren't real._

As it turns out, I was very wrong about that.

* * *

"Leonid Kovar, flight 3267 to Jump City," stated a smiling carrot-top. The woman took his tickets and his passport, unable to help smiling back. It was infectious. "Come on, mom, our plane's going to leave!" The lady shook her head, her smile fixed on her face long after Leonid Kovar and his mother had gone.

* * *

Chapter one. I promise it gets more interesting, though, after all the introductions are done. But what do you think so far? Love it, hate it, think I should delete it? Lemme know!


	2. Chapter 2

Just so you guys know, this story will switch POVs A LOT. So..yeah. I'll try to make it as obvious as I can as to whose POV it is, but PM me if it's too vague to figure out.

And Rachel, of course, is Raven.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

* * *

"Yes! You're almost there! Yeah--NO! What were you thinking? You could've passed it to him!" Ryan yelled at the street-basketball players. He and Koma sat on the front steps of their house on that beautifully sunny Saturday morning with Koma's rag doll. The older boys stopped playing, walking up to Ryan menacingly.

"Yeah? Then why don't you show us how, you pipsqueak?" They all laughed, getting back to their game.

"I would, if I could," Ryan mumbled. Koma patted his arm sympathetically as a redhaired stranger came and sat down between them. Stunned by the action, Ryan and Koma studied him. The guy looked about Kory's age, with reddish-brown eyes and orangey hair. He was pretty built, too, and that scared them. His voice, however, soon disspelled any fear.

"Hello girl, hello boy, hello doll," he greeted, grinning widely. "And how are you today?"

"Fine," Ryan answered stiffly, attempting to scoot away.

"Mommy said we're not allowed to talk to stranglers," Koma clarified.

"_Strangers_, Koma, mommy said we're not allowed to talk to _strangers_. Not _stranglers_."

The man looked shocked. "I'm not a stranger! My name's Leon. I'm your neighbor."

Ryan frowned, looking him over again. "You're not our neighbor. Our neighbor is that old, dumb general."

"Hey! That's my _uncle_."

Koma laughed. "You made a boo-boo!"

"Yeah he did. I guess my uncle can be a bit dumb sometimes, though. I just moved in with him yesterday from out of country, I guess I wouldn't know as well as you two. But I've heard that there's a crazy old lady who lives in this house right here," he added mysteriously.

"Hey! That's my grandma!"

Leon laughed. "Oops! I made a..."

"Boo-boo!" Koma finished happily.

"So," he started after a very tiny silence. "What's your grandma's name?"

"Grandma!" said Ryan and Koma together, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Again, Leon chuckled.

"That's a very nice name for a grandma."

_"X'HAL A ZORBLAK TRINXA  
BLIBLIBLAH GLRAXNELA..."_

All the basketball players took out their handy-dandy earmuffs, clapped them over their ears, and began to play again. Ryan and Koma covered their ears with their hands, groaning. "I forgot it was nine o'clock! She _always _sings at nine o'clock every morning," he told Leon, who's face was schrunched up in distaste.

"I'll put a stop to that." He got up, walking out so he was in clear view of the window of the Anders's house.

"Best of luck," Ryan mumbled after him.

"Oi! Grandma! Grandma!" She didn't hear him, and kept singing. "GRANDMA!" Everyone had stopped what they were doing to watch this young man attempt an impossible feat. _"GRANDMA_!"

The singing stopped, and the said grandmother came to the window. "Is someone calling me?"

"Yes! Down here!" Leon waved his arms wildly. "My name is Leon! I am General Raskov's nephew! Very nice to meet you!"

"General Raskov?" Grandma Anders asked interestedly.

"Yes! May I ask what you were doing?"

"I was praying to X'hal, the great goddess of--"

"Praying? My dear Grandma, you were not praying to X'hal, you were torturing her!" Whispers and snickers broke out amongst the crowd, and Koma gasped softly. Her grandma looked stricken. She'd never been spoken to that way before.

"Excuse me?"

"Grandma, look at these poor, poor children," he cooed, grabbing the nearest twenty-year-old, muscled, and altogether rather threatening-looking basketball player. "Poor, deprived children who have lost their taste in the wonderful art of music, having to listen to you every morning! They all believe there is nothing but depressed screeches and moans to be heard, and look--look at how sad...sad they are." He twisted the 'child's' face until it resembled something like a pout crossed with a snarl. "All they ask is that you keep your window closed in the morning!" He shook the man's head from side to side, making the frown deeper and deeper.

"Don't push it, man," the guy growled softly, and Leon stopped. The grandmother had never been so shocked in her life. How dare some...insolent youth come up to her and demand that she _stop _praying? Suddenly, a woman of about Louanne's age ran up their driveway.

"Excuse me! I apologize, has my son been bothering you? He's a bit touched in the head, please do not take it personally," the woman begged, grabbing Leon's ear and tugging him away. "I apologize most sincerely, and I hope he hasn't gotten carried away this time!"

"Mother!" Leon cried in pain. She pinched his ear harder.

"You are in no place to respond," she hissed. "Why can't you let go of childish habits?"

_Touched in the head, that would explain it_, Grandma Anders reasoned_. He is General Raskov's nephew, too. I will let it go_. "It is fine! He has done nothing! But I believe a little discipline would do him well!" Leon's mother gave a small smile.

"What's all the racket?" an angry voice asked. Leon looked over and gasped. She was the most beautiful thing he'd ever laid his eyes on. Or, she would be, if she hadn't been glaring at him so coldly. It was...Kory. "Well? It's only nine o'clock!"

He stepped out from his mom's now loosened grasp to get a better look. Slowly, he pointed to the bridge of his nose, mimicking glasses. "Take them off," he mouthed. She pushed them up higher, still glaring, and he grinned. Cute. Huffing once, Kory closed her window. Only then did Leon notice how quiet the neighborhood had gotten. "...Party's over...?" Almost immediately, everyone went back to what they were doing.

The door to the Anders's house opened. "Oh! You must be General Raskov's sister and nephew. I'm Louanne Anders." She held out her hand for each of them to shake. "These two are Ryan and Koma, and..." She went back inside the house for a moment, and then came and dragged out a reluctant looking Kory. "...This is my eldest, Kory. If we can do anything for you, let us know."

"It's fine, we're sorry for bothering you--" Leon's mother started, but Leon cut in.

"Louanne! Such a wonderful family you have! You know, my mother brought me to America to get married. I was wondering if I could have your permission to marry your daughter?"

"What?!" Kori exclaimed. Leon frowned at her.

"Oh, shut up, Four-eyes, I was talking to Koma." He continued, in a far more charming tone, "Koma, my darling, will you marry me?"

She giggled and hid her face in her mother's stomach. "No!"

"Please?"

"No!"

"Please? No!" Kory mimicked cruelly at Leon.

"Is she always like this?" Leon asked Ryan in a loud whisper.

"Yeah, pretty much."

"Shut up, Ryan," Kory hissed. Leon was about to retort, but his mother held him back.

"We really should be going," she told Louanne tiredly.

"Yes, I guess we should. See you at lunch!" chirruped Leon.

"Dinner?" Mrs. Anders asked confusedly.

"Oh yes. See, as your new neighbors, you just invited us to lunch. I'll bring desert, okay? Great!" He started walking down the driveway, but turned. "Oh, and, after I'm gone, Specsy here is going to get mad at you for inviting me. But don't worry about it, she's always like that."

* * *

"Why did you invite him?" Kory yelled at her mother. 

"I didn't invite him, he invited himself, you saw it! I don't think there's any harm in mixing with one's neighbors, though, do you? He seems like a nice boy, though a bit eccentric," Louanne replied, distressed over having to cook lunch for more people.

"Whatever. I'm getting groceries, but that does NOT mean I accept this in any way. It just looks like you need help," Kori snapped, grabbing her keys and walking out. Louanne rolled her eyes tiredly.

"Thanks, Kory."

* * *

"You're late," muttered Leon as Kory stepped into the house. He took her groceries from her, calling, "Louanne! Kory's home!" Kory stopped in her tracks, trying to figure out what was going on. Wait a second... 

"What are you doing here?" she asked. He'd already gone to the kitchen.

"Oh Leon, you really didn't have to do this," Louanne simpered.

"It's no problem, Louanne, all for my lovely Koma." Koma giggled, clutching her doll to her chest.

"Hahaha, so funny, Mom, I need to talk to you," Kory interrupted, grabbing Louanne's arm and dragging her to the next room. "What is this with Leon? He's so--"

"Kory, these are Leon's parents," Louanne cut in, pointing to the two people sitting on the couch in the same room.

"Oh! Hi, how are you, nice to meet you."

"Hello. Tell me, is the elder Mrs. Anders here?" inquired the General politely.

"I don't think so, sometimes we get lucky," Louanne joked.

"Oh, Mom, you're too much," Kory fake-laughed. She dragged her mom into the next room. "Mom, get him _out_. He's acting like this is his own house, like we've known him for years, and you need to put your foot down! The guy is crazy!"

"He's not--"

"Kory, look!" Ryan said.

"...Crazy, just--"

"Kory!"

"...Overly friendly," Louanne finished. Ryan tugged on Kory's sleeve, trying to direct her attention to him.

"Kory, look at my new shirt!"

"Wonderful, Ryan, who gave it to you?"

"Leon!" Kory groaned.

* * *

"Actual Tamaranian dishes? Louanne couldn't have made it, then," the grandmother sniffed. Louanne glared. 

"Leon was a lot of help. He cooks a lot from where he comes."

"Well then, congratulations on getting a new servant."

Louanne left, and the General came into the dining room. "Good morning, Mrs. Anders. I must say, pink looks very nice on you."

She smiled. "And blue is not half bad on yourself, General."

"Mr. Blue? Mrs. Pink? Lunch is ready," Leon interjected. 'Mrs. Pink' huffed at him, still not forgetting the earlier incident.

Lunch was bustly and loud and painful for Kory, what with Leon's dumb jokes about her looks. She steeled herself not to care, wondering how on Earth her family was growing so close to him. He was obviously not in his right mind, so far as Kory could see. And she had become a rather good judge.

"And then, the weasel goes--" Leon cut off, noticing Koma's attention was no longer engaged. She was still clutching her doll, staring forlornly ahead. He follwed her gaze and it rested on her grandmother and Ryan.

"All that bread has turned you near white! Come, my bumgorf, eat as much as you can while this lasts," said her grandma, pinching Ryan's cheeks.

"Grandma, stop it!"

Koma sighed, and it sounded like it was coming out of someone ten times her age's mouth. "Koma?" Leon asked gently. He hugged her, but Koma pulled away.

"Look! My dolly's name is Sally."

* * *

Leon was still chuckling from when his uncle had nearly dropped his dessert down his shirt after Kory, Koma, and Ryan's grandma had asked him if it was habit for him to wake up every day at nine o'clock and listen to her sing, and whether or not he could drill some appreciation into his nephew, when Kory came into the kitchen where he was doing the dishes. "What's your problem?" she snarled. 

"What are you talking about, Specsy?"

She got even angrier. "That! What makes you think you can come into our house and act as if you live here? My family is not interested! So act like a neighbor and stay at _your _house, and get away from mine!"

He poked her in the nose. "Ding-dong! I'm your neighbor, now can I borrow half a loaf of bread?"

She frowned in disbelief. "What?"

"You said to act like a neighbor, right? So I'm asking you for a loaf of bread. Now, can I have it?"

She was about ready to throttle him. "Ah, so funny, you are. How about this: you go take your happy-go-lucky attitude and knock on somebody _else's _door!" Leon shook his head with a you-are-so-pathetic kind of look. Kory didn't think it was possible to become more infuriated.

"Kory, Kory, Kory. You _need _my happy-go-lucky attitude. I have enough for the both of us. I've never even seen you smile. Can you? It's a very simple, three step process. One...two...three...cheese!" Kory frowned again in disbelief. "Let's try that again. One...two...three...cheese!" He tried to turn up the corners of her mouth, but she slapped his hands away.

"Don't touch me!"

"Oh 'X'hal', she's forgotten how to smile! That's okay, though, you keep practicing. Bye now!"

* * *

All that day, I couldn't help thinking: Had I truly forgotten how to smile? I practiced while I was brushing my teeth. It made my jaws hurt, and it still seemed fake. Was I really _that_ unhappy?

* * *

"Kory's smiled before," mumbled Richard. "She's smiled when...uh..."

* * *

"She smiles when I sing," Kory's grandmother said.

* * *

"Um..." Richard made wild motions with his hands, though what he was alluding to, no one will ever know.

* * *

"When she was with her father, Kory always smiled," Louanne recalled wistfully.

* * *

"Uh..."

* * *

"Such a beautiful smile," murmured Leon's mother. 

"What?" asked Leon, pocketing his keys.

"Rachel. This was taken at the wedding. Isn't her smile beautiful? I've never seen her so happy. She told me you were going to see her today," his mother explained, looking up at him worriedly. Leon smiled, sitting beside her on his uncle's couch.

"Yeah. That's where I'm going right now."

"Aren't you scared?" she whispered. He chuckled, hugging his mom quickly.

"Of course not. Everything will be fine, mom. I promise."

* * *

Sorry about all that POV changing. THat's how it is in the movie, and I liked Richard's part. He's going to be the comic relief here, funnily enough. 


	3. Chapter 3

Okay, this is the deciding chapter. The moment of truth. Whatever. I really don't know whether I should keep this story going or not, so...here goes.

T plus content involved. Just so you know. Haha, I'm glad I'm done writing it...

Thank you to shattered-hearts-602 for geting me started on this again, lol.

Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans or Suite Life of Zack and Cody

* * *

Kory enjoyed the peace and quiet of the ferry ride. It wasn't too far from the city, but enough to make the noise of the traffic soften to a dull roar. She couldn't even hear the arguments from here, which was amazing. Going down to her MBA classes was one of the only times she could just pull out a good book and read. 

"What book is that?" asked a very familiar, very annoying voice.

"Leon!" she cried, startled, dropping her book. "What are _you_ doing here?" Her voice was a lot less harsh than she thought he deserved.

"Going grocery shopping. This is the ferry to go to the south of Jump City, yes?" Kory nodded reluctantly. "Then I'm in the right place!"

"Why don't you just take a taxi?"

"Why don't you?"

"To get away from annoying people like _you,_" Kory hissed.

Leon frowned, tapping his finger against his chin. "If I didn't know better, Kory, I'd have thought you didn't like me. But that's not possible, because you're always looking for the positive things in life, aren't you? You couldn't see a bad quality in anyone if you tried." Kory sighed in exasperation.

"I don't like you at all. Is that clear enough for you?"

"Oh Kory, Kory...stop being so negative. Have you practiced smiling? You better remember soon. For all you know, tomorrow may never be..." He grew solemn, but perked up instantly. "That's a good one! I should write a book!"

She scooted away from him and picked up her book. "You go write your novel and leave me alone."

There were two giggling blonde twins that were in Kory's MBA classes sitting right next to him, and Leon turned away from Kory to talk to them. "Hello, ladies. Do you mind if I join into your conversation? This old lady is no fun to talk to, she has no life to talk _about_." The twins giggled again, accepting him earnestly, while Kory fumed. "Who are you staring at?"

"That guy over there. I think he's a DJ. Jenny thinks he's cute." There was a rather skinny guy of about their age on the boat, bobbing his head to a tune no one but himself could hear. He had the strangest spikey hair, and was wearing a large black t-shirt that read 'WORD' in huge red letters.

"_So_ cute," Jenny said wistfully. Leon thought for a moment, and then whispered 'play along' in her ear.

"Rutherford! Rutherford, over here!" The guy's head stopped bobbing, and he looked around for the source of the noise.

"Rutherford? Is that his name?" asked the first twin.

"Do you know him?" asked Jenny.

Leon shrugged. "No, but he looks like a Rutherford. Rutherford! Over here!"

"You talkin' to me, man?" asked the guy.

"Yes, you, do you see any other Rutherfords here?" The guy swaggered over, and Jenny tried not to faint.

"Name's Frankie." He shook Leon's hand.

"Ah, Frankie Rutherford. Well, you see..." Leon's eyes filled with tears. "My girlfriend Jenny wants to leave me for you. Why, Jenny? Why? What doess this lanky, lower-class man have that I don't? Why do you believe you will be better off with him?" Leon started to cry into her shoulder, and even Kory looked over, slightly amused. Poor Jenny just sat, shocked and unsure. She gave a half-smile and Frankie. "But no. I will be happy for you. Go. Go and prosper with Ruthie here. I hope you two have a happy, happy life together..."

Frankie never lost his 'cool.' "What's your name again?"

"J-jenny," she answered breathlessly.

"Nice. Hey, why don't you all come down to my club tonight? Opening night. And you can bring Mommy with you too." He pointed at Kory, who nearly choked on air. Frankie patted Leon's shoulder. "Don't worry, man, everything's going to be okay. See you."

As soon as he was gone, Leon lifted his head. "How did you like my preformance?"

Jenny clapped, laughing. "Amazing! Oh my gosh, he invited me to his club!"

"_Mommy_?" gasped Kory incredulously. Leon started laughing as well.

"Suits you, doesn't it? But don't worry, Mommy, I won't make you come to the club tonight. You probably have better things to do, like chasing little kids off your lawn." The two blondes giggled again, and Kory managed to ignore him for the rest of the ride.

At the corner, waiting for the stoplight, she found herself muttering darkly, "I hate him. I hate stupid clubs."

"What _don't _you hate, Kor?" asked Dick, walking up to her. It was as if a lightbulb had just exploded over her head.

"Dick! I need you to do me a _huge_ favor."

He raised an eyebrow. "What's that?"

Suddenly, she felt very awkward about it, but didn't show it. "I have this new neighbor, Leon Kovar. He invited me to this club tonight..." Dick's eyebrow rose higher and higher. "And if you weren't busy, could you come with me?"

"Okay, let me get this straight. You're going to a club, which is a rarity in itself. Secondly, you want me to be your date. Does this guy have any sisters?" Kory slapped her forehead. "Sorry, probably not the best time to ask. But this is kind of...spontaneous."

"You can't go."

"No, I can, I mean...but..."

_He doesn't want to go with _me. It was time to bring in the guilt factor. "Okay, so he didn't invite me. But he told me that I never smile, that I never laugh, that I have no _life_, that I--" Dick put his finger to her lips, stopping her rant.

"Kory, hate to break it to you, but that's all true." She glared at him.

"I know _that_, I'm not stupid, but why do I have to hear it from _him_?" Dick laughed.

"I feel used, but sure, whatever. You still haven't answered my sisters question."

"None," Kory growled.

* * *

The club was so crowded, it was impossible to move. Everywhere, lights blinded Kory, and people barreled into her while attempting to do who-knows-what. _People go here for fun? It's a nightmare! _She tried to stay close to Dick, but it was proving impossible. They finally ended up sitting by the bar, which was at the opposite end from the entrance. 

"Hey, Jenny, why don't you come with me to the booth? Show you how it works, you know?" Jenny nodded, still a bit flustered at being adressed by Frankie. Before leaving, she whispered, 'You're the best, Leon.'

"I know," he said smugly. "So...you two are dating? When'd you meet?"

"Uh...in the park," Dick invented.

"The park."

"Yeah. I was walking my dog, and Kory was walking hers."

Leon chuckled. "That's really funny, because Kory doesn't have a dog."

Kory thought fast. "No, silly, I was walking my neighbor's dog, remember?"

Leon laughed again. "That's even stranger, because I'm your neighbor, and I don't have a dog either." Kory was at a loss. She'd never been a very good liar. Neither, apparently, had Dick. He thought for a minute, and came upon an idea.

"She was walking my dog!"

"But I thought _you_ were the one walking your dog?"

"I...uh...have two dogs...? And then we met up at my friend Rita's place."

"Rita?" Kory whispered to Dick.

"That redhead I was talking to you about. The one with the four filthy kids." Kory smirked, and a certain redhead in the crowd heard her name being called.

"Dick? What are you doing here? I thought you said you were on a family thing tonight, and you couldn't come," Rita asked.

"Uh, yeah. Family. Meet my mom, and my dad." He pointed to Kory and Leon in turn. Rita bought it.

"Hello, dear. I hear my son met his current girlfriend in your house, didn't he? You _are _the Rita with the four filthy children, aren't you?" Leon asked seriously. Kory bit back a groan, and Dick visibly paled.

"Four filthy children? Is that what you think of my kids?" Rita screeched.

"No, no! Little angels, I swear, my dad's a bit--"

"I didn't even know you had a girlfriend! Why didn't you tell me?"

"I don't have a girlfriend, really!" Rita slapped him and stomped away. Leon shrugged.

"Sorry, man."

"'S okay, it's happened before," Dick mumbled. Kory, however, was not about to let it go that easily.

"You knew! So why were you acting? Had fun fooling us, did you? Now look at what you've done!" She took a step back, ready to leave. "Anyone can do this, drive over here, drink until they can't tell up from down, and dance until they pass out. I just act like a responsible adult and choose _not _to, and you tell me that I don't live life like I'm supposed to? This is ridiculous!"

Dick waved it away. "Don't worry about it, Leon, she's always like this."

"I know. So, was Rita really worth putting up with those kids?"

"Almost. Really hot. But they were little devils, pulling my hair every chance they got. I don't think it's too big of a loss, there's always someone else out there." Kory couldn't stand it any longer. She was angry and there was no way she was going to leave this club without showing it. Pushing through the two guys, she took Dick's untouched drink and downed it in a single gulp.

"Hit me," she ordered the bartender, who did so indifferently. She gulped that down, too. "Again." Number three gone. "Again." Number four... "Again." She was starting to get very, very woozy, but with a sense of pride saw Dick and Leon staring with open mouths, and even the bartender, who saw tons of heavy drinkers every day, looked a bit impressed. She started to feel the buzz, and her worries all seemed pointless. Kory was having the time of her life. "WOOHOO!" Her glasses, as well as her hairtie and sweater came off.

"Leon, she's going to strip!" Dick muttered anxiously, his eyes never moving off of her.

"That's okay, everyone here is naked anyway," Leon muttered back.

Kory stumbled into the middle of the dance floor, laughing and dancing like she'd been doing it her whole life. Dick looked aghast, and Leon smirked. "You're not going to miss out, are you?" It was all the persuading Dick needed. He grabbed the rest of his drink and went off to find Kory.

* * *

Kory had lost al track of time. No _wonder_ people came here so often. It was FUN! She hadn't felt this good in AGES! She glanced over to see if Leon had noticed she _could_ have fun and her happy mood melted away. 

There was a _girl_. With Leon. Kory didn't know who she was, but already, she didn't like her. Jealousy burned up inside of her before she had a chance to think about why she was jealous. But her blurred thought process was just confusing her, and she looked away only to see Dick dancing with some other girl she didn't know. "I hate this..." she slurred.

The rest she couldn't remember, up until the point where she'd gotten kicked out of the club. Leon, the only sober one, had to hold the hands of Dick and Kory. "Who's that?" Dick asked Leon, pointing to the burly bodyguard.

"Mohammad Ali, now move before he crushes you," Leon answered tersely.

"Mohammad Ali? But--"

"Shut up! And you!" he growled at Kory, "What were you thinking?"

"What did I do?" Kory questioned, trying to shield her eyes from the annoyingly bright streetlights.

"Wait! What about Mohammad Ali? Isn't he coming with us?"

"I don't even want to say what you did, you probably don't even know what I'm saying! Do you?" growled Leon.

"Am I Mohammad Ali?"

"Stop yelling!" Kory screeched, swaying dangerously.

"I'm not yelling!"

"I am Mo--"

"Shut up!" yelled Leon. Dick quieted instantly, still dreaming of champs.

"No, you shut up!" Kory yelled at Leon. "You are the one telling me to live and laugh, and now I'm doing it and you're just getting angry at me! That's not fair! I don't like you!"

"I only said that because you're still wallowing in your misery about your dad!"

"DON'T BRING HIM INTO THIS!" Kory sobbed. Leon stopped talking, awkwardly tying to pat her back, but she pulled away from him. "I miss him. He used to take me to that dock, right there, and it was our own...sanctuary...just the two of us..."

"I miss Bruce," Dick mumbled sorrowfully.

"Oh? I'm sorry. When did he pass away?" Leon asked softly.

"He didn't, I can still miss him, can't I?"

Another fresh wave of tears rolle down Kory's cheeks. "I want daddy..."

"Hey, hey, it's okay," Leon tried, but it didn't work. She wouldn't stop crying, and now they were getting looks from the few people who were out this late at night.

Dick raised his hand. "Can I try?" Leon let go of his hand, warning him not to go do anything stupid. That's a lot to ask of a drunk person. "Hey, Kory. Don't cry. You don't look all that pretty when you cry. You look pretty when you're angry. So whenever you're sad, just think of me and get angry. Then you won't cry, right?" Leon slapped his forehead. Surprisingly, though, it had an effect very close to the desired one.

"Stop it," she pouted, slapping his hand away.

"But I need an answer!"

"Stop! X'hal, Dick, you can be so cute sometimes it's annoying!" She was giggling, though.

"I'm not cute! I'm Mohammad Ali!"

"No, you're _cute_!"

Leon looked away. He didn't belong here. He knew he wouldn't. But still...it was nice to think, for once, that he had a chance. A chance with Kory. _Idiot. You can't, and you know that. It would all end in misery. For everyone. _He glanced back at the two drunkenly flirting friends, and sighed. "Come on. Time to go home."

* * *

Again, kind of a weirdish chapter...that doesn't explain anything...but I have to watch the movie again and see what happens next...

Bye!


End file.
